Eastern Utah
EMAIL ME AT: mgypsy97 at aol dot com

Monday, May 20, 2019

Springer Fever

Every year during the springtime, many backpackers get "Springer Fever", which is an acute desire to head for Springer Mtn, GA, the southern terminus of the approx. 2300 mile long Appalachian Trail, referred to as the "AT".  Most backpackers get this fever in early spring, but mine came a little late this year, in May!  Many folks attempt to do a thruhike, or the entire 2300 miles in one go, although most are section hikers, doing a stretch at a time.  I've been watching youtube videos featuring some of the current hikers and long to be out there too, although I'm too far past my prime now.  There is, however, a trail legend from years back known as Grandma Gatewood, a woman in her 80's who hiked the entire trail with a minimum of equipment she threw together, wrapped and tied it in a shower curtain, and slung it over her back.  I myself have only hiked about 800 miles of it, and that was back when I was a youngster of 55 yrs old.  I am thankful that I was able to hike back when almost no one had a cell phone, GPS, and all the technology they require today.  I usually stopped in a town now and then to do laundry and replenish my food supply, and called home from a payphone!

On another note, I still have no new computer.  I'm ready to order a refurbished one in hopes it has the regular stuff such as a disk drive, and no dumb Touch Bar that I would absolutely never ever use!  If I didn't know better I would just swear off the Mac, but I do prefer the operating system to Windows.  And Windows tries to bring new features in that don't make much sense to me either.  

I'm enjoying this beautiful day because tomorrow is going to be rainy!  And I just cleaned my floors from all Rocky's puppy paw prints!  

8 comments:

  1. One of the guys here in our park is hiking the Pacific Coast Trail. He did half of it last year starting in Mexico. He is going to finish it up in Canada this summer. He just finished chemo but says hes ready to go. I didn't joke when I was younger so it's not happening now.

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  2. Good for him! Let me know if he plans to post a blog along the way. I've followed a lot of AT hikers that way.

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    1. No he doesn't blog. But it's sure interesting to sit and listen to his adventures. He and his wife have been a lot of places - they got lost in Morocco and in Cairo. Wish he did write.

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  3. Wow Gypsy, 800 miles is not too shabby no matter what age one might be.

    Grandma Gatewood is a real inspiration having hiked in her 80's and without proper equipment, I had never heard of her but she deserves a movie or at least a documentary.

    How times have changed with technology, I too remember calling home from a payphone to let them know I was still alive at the cook-off now they do not even have that phone anymore.

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    1. I'm glad I backpacked in the days before all the technology and electronics became popular. My hike was made so wonderful by the people I met, not the stuff I listened to through earphones, or talking and texting on cell phones, or knowing exactly where I was at any given time by a GPS. I bet there aren't any more payphones left these days.

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  4. I'm glad I did my hiking and climbing when I was younger, I miss it but at least I know I did it. I love reading about people who do these long, long trails that last for months on YouTube.
    The machine I have is the Floor Mate by Hoover. I hear Bissel is good to.

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    1. It would have helped if I had done my backpacking when I was younger, but I worked from the day after I graduated and then had my family to take care of. I miss it terribly especially this time of year, and I'm so glad I kept my journal. I think I need to give my floors a good wax. They arent in good shape at all mainly because large dogs have scratched the floor and also because they haven't been refinished for some time. I don't blame the landlady though - I wouldn't refinish them if I rented to someone with a dog of any size.

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